Phillip Lewis, a 5th grade teacher at Talbott Elementary School in Jefferson County, has received the Lottie and Alden Beverly Geography Teacher of the Year award from the Tennessee Geographic Alliance

Dr. Henri Grissino-Mayer recently received the following email from Phillip Lewis, a 5^th grade teacher at Talbott Elementary School in Jefferson County.  It came right after Phillip was notified that he had been awarded the Lottie and Alden Beverly Geography Teacher of the Year award from the Tennessee Geographic Alliance.  Phillip was chosen for the award based on a very strong letter of recommendation from his principal that stressed the success of his classes’ tree ring project.  The Lottie and Alden Beverly Geography Teacher of the Year Award is given annually and is made possible by a generous donation to the Tennessee Geographic Alliance from the Tom and Bruce Ralston families.

Hey Dr. Grissino-Mayer,

 

       This is Phillip Lewis. I am the elementary school teacher that brought the segment of the Red Oak tree for you to help me date this summer. I wanted to update you on my progress. I built a stand for the piece and it is now displayed in my 5th grade classroom.  The students have been researching dates to place on the timeline. The students are really enjoying the process and are very eager to learn as much as possible.  I recently won the Geography Teacher of the Year through the Tennessee Geographic Alliance.  Part of my nomination came from the way I incorporate the tree into our lessons. I want to thank you again for all the help you provided me and for helping me to achieve success in this endeavor.  I have enclosed some pictures of our progress so far.  We still have much to do but the kids can see the direction we are going.

Thanks again,

Phillip Lewis

      

The following is a video link about it:

http://www.wbir.com/news/article/256534/8/Tree-rings--ipads--history-teaching-tools



Norwegian language lessons

In Spring 2013, a (non-credit) Norwegian language course is offered for students who plan to assist with fieldwork research in Oslo, UT Geography students, and community members. The first class was attended by 8 members of the local Sons of Norway chapter and 7 UT students (Matt Cook, Ben Todd, Scott Basford, Nancy Li, Eva Feng, Ruth Bowling, and José Izquierdo). Dr. Alderman (pictured far right) welcomed the participants.

Snow on January 17, 2013

Faculty and students enjoyed the unusual snow in Knoxville on January 17, 2013.

Department Welcome Party Spring 2013

A good crowd of faculty, graduate students, and significant others attended the Welcome Back party hosted by Carol Harden before the 2013 spring semester began.  We welcomed Dr. Robert Washington-Allen, who joined the geography faculty as of January 2013, and enjoyed a relaxed evening together before the semester.

Graduate students and significant others share talk tales from their adventures over the holiday break

Dr. Robert Washington-Allen (right) and Dr. Sally Horn (left) amuse Dr. Shih-Lung Shaw with their discussion (of the dipping sauce?  the future of the world? the GTA schedule?)



25 Year Service Awards to Geographers

Will Fontanez, Carol Harden, and Sally Horn all began at the University of Tennessee in 1987 -- Carol and Sally at the beginning of the Fall quarter, and Will a few months earlier.  In appreciation for their 25 years of service to the University of Tennessee, the trio received their choice of gifts (Carol went for the inflatable kayak!) along with invitations to a Service Awards Luncheon on December 11, where President Joe DiPietro and Chancellor Jimmy Cheek presented them with commemorative plaques.  The photo shows Will and Sally at the luncheon (Carol had another commitment); see also http://www.tennessee.edu/system/events/serviceawards/stories/ 

Farewell Party for Ben Shultz

Ben Shultz will leave UT at the end of this semester. He’s done an excellent job for us as an instructor and undergraduate advisor since the summer of 2011.  The department held a small farewell party (cake and coffee) on Monday, Dec. 3 in the commons area of BGB at 1:10 pm to thank Ben for what he has done for the department and wish him well on his next adventure.

 

A Celebration of the Scholarship of Dr. John Rehder on the Publication of his Last Book

As Fall 2012 semester nears its end, we had a special colloquium – “A Celebration of the Scholarship of Dr. John Rehder on the Publication of his Last Book” – on Thursday, November 29, 2012, in honor of Dr. John Rehder. The special colloquium was held in the Great Room of the International House (I-House) on campus.

John Redher's wife, Judy, and their children, Ken and Karen at the November 29 colloquium celebrating the publication of John's last book, Tennessee Log Buildings. With the family are the colloquium speakers, Ron Foresta of UT Geography; John Morgan, formerly John's student and now a professor at Emory and Henry College; and, standing in front with a copy of John's book, Scot Danforth, the director of UT Press.

Dr. John B. Rehder, PhD, longtime Professor at the University of Tennessee, passed away on April 19, 2011. He joined the Department of Geography in 1967. Dr. Rehder earned a Masters and Ph.D. from LSU, one of the preeminent cultural and historical geography programs in the country. He earned a B.A. in 1963 from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

Dr. Rehder’s research focused on writing scholarly books that examined the historical and cultural geography of subjects in the South. Two earlier books, Delta Sugar: Louisiana’s Vanishing Plantation Landscape (1999) and Appalachian Folkways (2004) both published by the Johns Hopkins University Press, won prestigious book awards. Dr. Rehder served on the Board of Directors of University of Tennessee Press. In 2012, the Press published his third book, Tennessee Log Buildings: A Folk Tradition. This most recent work is a product of over four decades of fieldwork and contains over one hundred images, including beautiful photography.

Dr. Rehder enjoyed fishing, camping, boating, skiing, and hiking along with singing in the West Hills Baptist Church Choir. He was a devoted husband to wife Judy Rehder for over 48 years and a loving father and grandfather. In February, 2011 he proudly attended the award dinner where his daughter, Karen Rehder was recognized as the Knox County Middle School Teacher of the Year. “Opa” especially treasured time on the golf course with his son, Ken and grandson, Allen and also showering his granddaughter, Emma Caroline with stuffed animals.

In May of 2011, the Department of Geography held “A Celebration of John Rehder’s Life” at the home of Dr. Carol Harden, where colleagues and students recounted stories and memories for several hours. Judy and Karen Rehder honored the group with their attendance. Carol Harden, Interim Department Head at the time, captured it best when she wrote in the UTK Geography Community Blog: “John Rehder's untimely and all too soon passing…was quite a shock to the whole department. John was a kind man and a fine colleague and his death has created a large absence in the life and heart of our department.”

This special colloquium was jointly sponsored by the Geography Department and the UT Press. Special thanks go to Dr. Ron Foresta who coordinated and planned this special colloquium.